I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to electronics, and more specifically to amplifiers.
II. Background
Amplifiers are commonly used in various electronic devices to provide signal amplification. Different types of amplifiers are available for different uses. For example, a wireless communication device such as a cellular phone may include a transmitter and a receiver for bi-directional communication. The transmitter may include a driver amplifier (DA) and a power amplifier (PA), the receiver may include a low noise amplifier (LNA), and the transmitter and receiver may include variable gain amplifiers (VGAs).
High output power and good efficiency are important design goals for a power amplifier. A power amplifier may be required to transmit at a high maximum output power level, e.g., +33 dBm for GSM and +27 dBm for CDMA. The power amplifier may be used in a wireless device and may consume a relatively large portion of the total power of the wireless device. Hence, a power amplifier with good efficiency and high output power may be highly desirable.